Measuring apparatus.



F. JAMES.

MEASURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 2a, 1907.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

on. D. c.

FRED JAMES, OF MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA.

MEASURING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed December 23, 1907. Serial No. 407,707.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that 1, Farm JAMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mitchell, in the county of Davison and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Measuring Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to measuring apparatus and is particularly designed for use in connection with feed troughs.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the discharge of a predetermined quantity of feed into the trough can be accurately accomplished, said means being used upon a bin or in connection with a discharge spout extending from a suitable source of supply.

Another object is to provide a measure of this character having a closure at the outlet end thereof and which is of novel construction, the same being provided with combined locking and opening mechanism de signed to be used in cooperation with one of a series of shut-off devices.

A still further object is to provide a shutofl device carrying means designed, when the shut-off device is in a predetermined position, to engage the closure opening mechanism, said mechanism being designed, immediately upon the shifting of the shut-off device from said position, to automatically shut the closures to prevent the escape of any of the contents of the measure.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully cescribed and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

in said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a measure embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side thereof and showing the closures lowered to permit the discharge of the contents of the measure. Fig. 3 is a section on line it a, Fig. 2, the closures being shut. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a portion of the bottom of the measure and showing one of the closures shut. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing said closure open. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the outer end of one of the shut-off devices.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates the body of the measin outline and, as shown in the present instance, may be in the form of an elongated spout designed to extend from a suitable hopper or bin although, if preferred said body may be of sufliciently large proportions to be used as a bin. Arranged upon one wall of the body are superposed brackets 2 having guides 3 extending at right angles from the wall and in these guides are mounted shut-oil's in the form of slides l each of which is designed to pass into a slot formed in the adjoining wall of the body and to be projected across the interior of the body so as to entirely prevent the passage of material past the slide. Each slide is provided upon its upper face with a bearing 5 in which is j ournaled a wrench consisting of a shank 6 having a socket in one end thereof as indicated at 7, while its other end is pro vided with a crank arm 8. A projection 9 is located upon the center of the outer end of each slide, the same constituting a grip whereby the movement of the slide is facilitated.

Journaled within opposite walls of the body are shafts 10 each of which has an angular head 11 at one end and disposed in the path of one of the wrenches 6. A gear 12 is located at the other end of each shaft and a spring 13 serves to hold this gear normally pressed against the adjoining wall of the body While the head 11 is normally projected beyond the opposite wall of said body. One of these shafts is provided for the wrench of each slide and the slides are so positioned as to sub-divide the body 1 into compartments each of which is designed to hold a predetermined quantity of feed or other material to be dispensed.

Guide brackets 14 extend from one wall of the body 1 and slidably mounted within them is a rack bar 15 which is held spaced i from the body by the bracirets 14 so as to be normally out of mesh with the superposed gears 12. The distance of the rack bar from the body, however, is such that when one of the shafts 10 is shifted longitudinally the gear carried thereby will be brought into mesh with the rack bar. A cross head 16 is disposed at the lower end of the rack bar 15' and projects beyond opposite walls of the body 1, said projecting portions being provided with L-shaped slots 17 each of said slots having its outer portion extending upwardly as shown particularly in Fig. 1.

ure, the same being preferably rectangular Swinging doors 18 are hingedly connected to opposite walls of the body at the lower or outlet end thereof and are so proportioned as to lap when shut. Each door extends outwardly past the hinge thereof and is provided with a laterally extending stud or projection on which is mounted an anti-friction roller 19 located within one of the slots 17. If preferred, each door can be provided with guard wings 20 at the sides thereof to prevent feed from spreading laterally while being discharged between the open doors.

Slides 4 normally extend outside of the body 1 and between the guides 3 and the doors 18 are held normally closed by the weight of the rack bar 15 and the cross head 16. These doors when closed have their rollers 19 positioned in the upper ends of slots 17 and swinging of the doors is thus absolutely prevented as long as the rollers are thus located because it is impossible for said rollers to describe arcs about the hinges of the doors.

As heretofore stated the compartments into which the body is subdivided by the slides are designed to hold predetermined quantities of material. For example, the compartment formed between the lower slide and the bottom of the body may hold one bushel and the compartment formed between every two adjoining slides may hold a similar amount. Should it be desired to discharge one bushel from the body the slide nearest the bottom of said body is pushed inwardly until it entirely cuts off communication between the lower compartment and the upper compartments. This inward movement of the slide brings the wrench thereon into engagement with the head 11 of the adjoining shaft 10 and causes said shaft to be pushed longitudinally against the stress of its spring until the gear 12 carried by the shaft is brought into mesh with the rack bar 15. While the parts are in this position the operator gives a one-half turn to crank 8 and this will force the rack bar 15 upwardly thus lifting the upwardly extending portions of the slots 17 from rollers 19 and permitting said rollers to travel toward each other within the horizontal portions of the slots and as indicated in Fig. 2. The two doors will thus open by gravity and that portion of the material located below the closed slide will be discharged from the bottom of the body. After this material has been discharged the doors can be returned to closed position either by reversing the movement of the crank or else by partly withdrawing the slide so that the wrench will become disengaged from the shaft. in the latter instance the rack bar 15, as soon as disengaged from the gear of the shifted shaft, will push downward on the rollers 19 and force them laterally so as to swing the doors closed by gravity, after which the rollers will become seated in the upper ends of the slots and the doors thus closed before any portion of the contents of the body has a chance to drop therefrom. Obviously should it be desired to discharge two bushels of the contents of the body the second slide from the lower end thereof will be the one pushed inwardly by the operator.

Importance is attached to the fact that the cross head 16 efficiently locks the doors in closed position irrespective of the pressure to which they are subjected and said doors can only be unlocked by lifting the cross head until the horizontal portions of the slots 17 are brought into register with rollers 19.

W hat is claimed is:

1. The combination with a relatively fixed body having an outlet, a closure hingedly connected to the body, and a projection carried by the closure; of relatively movable means having a slot engaged by the projection for looking the closure when shut, said slot being shaped to normally hold the projection against movement, and mechanism for actuating said means to permit movement of the projections within the slot and the consequent opening .of the closure by gravity.

2. The combination with a body having an outlet, a closure hingedly connected to the body and having an outwardly extending portion, and a projection carried by and movable with said closure; of a slidable looking device having a slot therein constantly engaged by the projection, said slot being shaped and positioned to normally hold the projection against movement co-incident with the opening of the closure, and disposed when said device is shifted, to permit move ment of theprojection within the slot and the consequent release of the shut closure.

3. The combination with a body having an outlet, oppositely disposed closures, hingedly connected thereto, and a projection carried by each closure; of a cross head having slots therein, each slot containing a projection, said cross head being normally partly positioned between and in the ath of the projections to lock the same and t 1e closures against movement, and means for shifting said cross head to change the positions of the projections within the slots and partly release the closures.

4. The combination with a body having an outlet, oppositely disposed closures hingedly connected thereto, and projections carried by the closures; of a cross head having slots therein disposed to engage the res ective projections and lock them and the c osures against movement, a rack bar extending from the cross head, and means shiftable into engagement with the rack bar for actuating the cross head to change the positions of the projections within the slots and partly re lease the closures. I

5. The combination with a body having an outlet, a hinged closure therefor, and a projection movable with the closure; of means engaging the projection for normally locking the closure in closed position, mechanism for actuating said means to partly release the projection and closure, a cut-off within the body, and operating means carried by the cut-off for engaging said mechanism solely when the out it is in a predetermined position.

6. The combination with a body having an outlet, a hinged closure therefor, and means for normally locking the closure in closed position; of mechanism for actuating said means to release the closure, shut-oil movably connected to and disposed to close the interior of the body, and means shiftable into engagement with said mechanism solely by the movement of the shut-off for actuating the mechanism.

7. The combination with a body having an outlet, a closure therefor, and means for looking the closure in closed position; of mechanism for actuating said means to release the closure, a shut-off movably mounted within the body, and means carried by the shut-oil for operativel engaging said mechanism only when the shut-oil is moved in a predetermined direction.

8. The combination with a body having an outlet; a closure therefor, means for locking the closure in closed position, and a rack bar movable with said means; of a gear normally of mesh with the rack bar, a shut-oil, and means controlled by the movement of the shut-oil for shifting said gear into operative relation with the rack bar and for rotating said gear.

9. The combination with a body having an outlet, a closure therefor, and means for normally locking the closure in closed position; of a revoluble element normally out of operative relation with said means, a shut-off, and means controlled by the movement of the shut-oil for shifting said element into operative relation with the locking means and for actuating said element and locking means to release the closure.

10. The combination with a body. having an outlet, and a closure for the outlet; of locking means for holding the closure normally in closed position, a plurality of independently operated shut-oils within the body, and separate means controlled by the movement of each shut-oil for actuating the locking means to release the closure.

11. The combination with a body having an outlet, a closure therefor, and a locking device disposed to hold the closure normally in closed position; of a plurality of spring controlled longitudinally shiftable revoluble shafts, a plurality of shut-oils, means controlled by the movement of each shut-off for shifting one of the shafts and rotating the same, and means upon the shaft and movable therewith into engagement with the locking device for actuating the same to release the closure.

1.2. T he combination with a body having an outlet and a closure therefor, and means for locking the closure in closed position; of

.mechanism for actuating said means to release the closure, a plurality of shut-offs mounted upon the body, and means carried by the respective shut-oils for separately engaging said mechanism when the shut-oil's are moved in a predetermined direction.

13. The combination with a body having an outlet, closures therefor, and a lock for the closures; of mechanism for unlocking the lock for the closures, a plurality of shut-oils carried by the body, and operating means upon each shut-orl' for operatively engaging said mechanism only when the shut-off is moved to a predetermined. position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto a'fiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRED JAlrlES.

Witnesses A. E. HrrcncocK, Inez DoANn. 

